Practical Tips to Prevent Panic Attacks

The basic problem with panic attacks is that they may occur with or without any known cause. If you can pinpoint what has triggered the panic attack in the first place, preventing it next time becomes rather easy.

Assume that you have had a panic attack due to a certain phobia. Getting rid of the phobia or removing the thing that caused the phobia should be enough to prevent the panic attack. A panic attack may have resulted from hyperventilation or rapid breathing. What happens here is you breathe faster or deeper or heavier than normal, and due to this the level of carbon dioxide concentration in the blood falls below normal, which in turn causes numbness or a tingling sensation in the limbs, nausea, dizziness, headache, or even fainting – all these being symptoms of a panic attack. Obviously, prevention of the recurrence of hyperventilation is a way to prevent the resulting panic attack. Breathing into a brown paper bag put over the nose might help prevent hyperventilation. Breathing from the diaphragm as against breathing from the chest is always better in reducing hyperventilation.

Normally, different types of fear form the most common cause for a panic attack, particularly the fear of losing control, the fear of going crazy or becoming mad, the fear of dying and the fear of fear itself. In that case, what is important is to resort to an all out attempt to get rid of the particular fear.

Prevention of a panic attack becomes more difficult when there is no apparent cause that triggers it. Irrespective of whether you know what triggers a panic attack, doctors and other professionals generally suggest three main methods for its prevention, namely, medication, CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) and relaxation.

While some doctors prescribe various benzodiazepines, others prefer to advise the use of antidepressants, particularly SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors), which are effective in the treatment of depression, anxiety and a variety of phobias that might trigger a panic attack.

However, overcoming panic attacks becomes easier through adopting a combination of medication and therapy.

Some of the CBT techniques involve what is called ‘symptom induction’. The thinking here is that you can prevent the fear of a panic attack by intentionally exposing yourself to the very symptoms that you fear are the cause of an impending panic attack. Therapists make patients go through several exercises, which repeatedly induce those symptoms that appear to them as the most terrifying or frightening.

Techniques of relaxation and meditation are extremely helpful in the prevention of panic attacks. Taking regular physical exercise is important. Timely meals with lots of fresh vegetables will help. Avoid processed foods, stimulants, caffeine, cigarettes, alcohol, and other intoxicants, which you wrongly believe to provide an escape from your stress. Monitor your blood sugar levels and try to keep them within the recommended levels. Freely communicate with your close friends or relatives about your emotional distress to prevent the building up of strong emotions and feelings inside you. Share your fears and discuss the strategies of fighting them with your friends and family. Diaphragmatic breathing as opposed to chest breathing will be conducive to the prevention of hyperventilation.

Bring about lifestyle changes to improve your overall physical and mental health. Adopt meditation techniques which induce a positive outlook on life and which help dissipate imaginary fears. Finally, there is nothing better than faith in your ability to cope with life as it comes. Try to develop that faith. Panic attacks will never touch you.

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